Our Festival Hair Survival Kit

The UK festival season has burst into life with an electrifying start from Download Festival and Glastonbury. When it comes to hair styling, festival-goers face some unique challenges, from unpredictable weather to the realities of camping. Your hair completes your festival outfit, but it also needs to be durable, easy to style and require minimal fuss. That's why we've put together our festival hair survival guide, to help your hair through whatever a festival can throw at it.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be bringing you our thoughts on the hottest styles this season and tips for great hair for every day of the festival.

UV protecting products

Although UK festival weather isn’t always blazing sunshine, it’s a good idea to pack as if it will be. As the weather heats up, we’ve been talking more about the importance of protecting your hair and scalp from the sun.

Just as you would pack suncream, pack UV-protecting hair products to help your hair on any sunnier days. If you won’t be washing your hair during the festival, use a a shampoo and conditioner with UV protection before you head to the festival. You can also use products like hairsprays and serums with UV filters to add some extra protection.

Dry hair shampoo

Let’s be honest, shower facilities can be lacking or non-existent at some festivals. Dry shampoo is an absolute must-take in our books, for those days when your hair isn’t as clean as you’d like. It’s also a great way to add hold and volume to your hair, perfect for prepping your hair for up-dos.

Hair accessories

If you’re looking for a super-easy, quick way to create different looks while you’re at a festival. They’re easy to pack, even easier to style and so versatile, making them a staple for multi-day fests.

Bows, ribbons and pearls are currently some of our favourite ways to dress up looks, and they’re perfect for festivals. We’re also loving the cowboy hat trend, which is not only stylish but functional! As we spoke about in our summer haircare newsletter and blog, hats are a great way of protecting your hair and scalp from UV damage, so they get a big tick from us.

Extra clips, ties and pins

An emergency stash of hair ties and bobby pins is a necessity in our eyes. Regardless of what styles you’ll be planning, it’s always a good idea to pack some extra ties, clips and bobby pins just in case. You’ll thank yourself for it!

Heatless curlers

Unless you’re glamping, chances are you’ll have to leave your heat tools at home.

You might’ve seen sock curls, overnight curls and satin rollers all over your Instagram and TikTok, but if you haven’t, they use a great method of creating heatless curls that are perfect for festival days.

Overnight fabric-set curls are our top recommendation. This method can be much more comfortable to sleep in than rollers, making them a great way of creating an undone-wave effect.

You’ll need several fabric strips around 15cm long, ideally a fabric with a bit of weight to it to prevent any tangles. First, lightly dampen your hair and add a light amount of product to help achieve a longer-lasting style - We recommend a fine misting of Blow Dry Lotion for this. To set the curl, take a section of hair, wrap the end around the middle of the fabric and then roll the section around the fabric, working towards your scalp. Then, take the end of each fabric strip and create a knot to keep the hair in place. In the morning, all you’ll need to do is untie each section of hair, remove the fabric and tip your head forward, raking your fingers through your hair from the nape of your neck.

Watch our tutorial below to see how we create curls using fabric.